Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Retried; Amnesty International Expresses Concern: Further Delays Mean More Pressure
Hojjat Kermani, lawyer for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, announced today, Sunday, March 15, in an interview with Reuters that his client’s court hearing took place and expressed hope that Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be acquitted of the charge of “propaganda against the state.”
Mr. Kermani, noting that the hearing was held in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court, added: “Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was calm and composed during the court session. The hearing took place in a peaceful atmosphere. Final defense arguments were presented. Legally, the verdict should be issued within one week, but this depends on the judge. I have great hope that [Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe] will be acquitted.”
The Islamic Republic’s judiciary has not yet commented on this matter.
Amnesty International UK also, in two tweets, stated: “While Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe should have been celebrating Mother’s Day with her daughter, she was in court being tried on her second charge. No verdict has yet been issued and the status of her life remains unclear.”
The organization, in another tweet, criticized British officials and announced: “It is unfortunate that British officials did not attend the court hearing to show Nazanin the support she deserves. Further delays mean more pressure and more anxiety. The British government should act as soon as possible for Nazanin’s release.”
On Sunday, March 6, Hojjat Kermani, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s lawyer, informed Iranian media that his client was “released” from prison after five years of imprisonment. Over the past year, due to the spread of coronavirus, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe spent the final year of her sentence under “electronic monitoring” and house arrest.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who worked as a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was detained by the Islamic Republic’s security forces on April 3, 2016, upon her departure from Iran following a family visit to Iran with her daughter.
She was accused of participating in “soft overthrow” of the Islamic Republic through cooperation with foreign institutions and companies. Richard Ratcliffe, Nazanin’s husband, has called these accusations against her “absurd.”
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s Foreign Minister, confirmed that he had discussed with British officials at certain times the payment of money in exchange for the release of a British-Iranian national. According to The Guardian, Zarif said that if Britain released this money, he would also negotiate for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release from prison.
The U.S. State Department has repeatedly condemned the unjustified and arbitrary detention of American citizens and nationals of other countries, including dual-nationality Iranians, by the Islamic Republic government for the purpose of extortion and gaining concessions from other countries, and has called for their immediate and unconditional release.
Source: Voice of America
